First of all I want to thank everyone for participating, volunteering and/or sponsoring the fifth annual Buck Hurley Triathlon! We raised almost $15,000! Almost $5,000 over goal!

We could not have done it without the following sponsors: Wallace and Graham, Larry Cloninger, Busby and Webb Orthodontics, Fast Med Urgent Care, RAM Pavement, Tina Merhoff DDS, F&M Bank, Harrison RV LLC, Wendy’s, Fowler Physical Therapy, Central piedmont Builders Inc, Food Lion, Barnhardt Jewelers, Salisbury Tutoring Academy, the one-on-one school, Law Office of Koontz and Smith, Novant Health Women’s Health Associates, Skinny Wheels, Autumn Care, Pinocchio’s Restaurant, Salisbury Urological Clinic PA, ALTA/Windy Point vacation Rentals, Dodson and Margaret Schenck and of course Gordon and Carolyn Hurley!

Over 120 volunteers helped us with a super special thank you to Melanie Thompson and all 22 Salisbury Police volunteers for an outstanding job, Salisbury Fire Department, and Salisbury Rowan Runners who pretty much support any running/tri event in this community and the Army Reserve who helped in full force! As most of you knew, my son Andrew and I flew to the Netherlands for my mom’s 80th birthday! Not a convenient time for me but I would not miss it if my life depended on it!

Awesome time and came home Monday evening April 28, right, 5 days before the Buck Hurley triathlon! My co-race director Sarah Busby and right-hand Jennifer Burroughs kept things going when I was gone, Thank you! Coming back to work on Tuesday, people kept asking me if I had any jet lag? I said “surprisingly no.” Well, Sarah, Jennifer and I put about three weeks worth of hours in five days, the Triathlon went awesome and thank you to the residents, businesses and churches on all the routes for the triathlon, we really appreciate you “dealing” with this once a year!

I spoke too soon on the jet lag! I delayed my jet lag with the adrenaline getting ready for the Buck Tri and the three of us were sleep deprived for at least three days. After a super successful Saturday 6 and under Buck Triathlon and the Sunday Tri, I barely was able to get out of bed on Monday! I went to teach my Esterciz class at 8 a.m. but my people said I was making no sense! Not sure if I was talking Dutch or what, but half the time I didn’t even know what I was saying!! It’s amazing how your body reacts when you do not get enough sleep. Of course I figure I share this because I don’t think I am the only one who was sleep deprived! Fortunately I don’t deal with this too often but there are people who do. Looking at all kinds of research the following are the most common side effects for sleep deprivation:

• It can cause accidents, WebMD states that sleep deprivation was a factor in one of our biggest disasters in 1979 at the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.

• Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Without it, it makes it more difficult. (I know I wasn’t thinking straight Monday a week ago!)

• It can lead to serious health problems. At sleep your body is fully recovering, restoring and re-energizing.

• Research states that the lack of sleep lowers the libido in both women and men and less interest in sex.

• Over time sleep deprivation can contribute to depression

• With a lack of sleep your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol can break down the protein in your skin that keeps it young and healthy looking

• With the increase in cortisol your body tents to gain weight in certain places but sleep deprivation also triggers cravings for high fat, high carbohydrates food, therefore weight gain expected with the lack of sleep.

Wow, amazing what lack of sleep can cause! I absolutely felt many of the symptoms but fortunately went to bed on time this week. Each day it’s getting a little bit better, because I “double whammed” myself with the six-hour time difference jet lag and the five days of sleep deprivation, it will probably be another week before I am back to my “ole” self! If you are someone who deals with sleepless nights all the time, please check with your doctor. Just because you got used to it does not mean it’s the right thing to do. Your body needs sleep for a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Ester H Marsh is health and fitness director at the Hurley Family YMCA.